Something nice

Yema is a brand that does things differently. They have their own movement, which is roughly the equivalent to the SW200 or the ETA 2824, they don’t have any problem with using acrylic and they are not afraid of digging deep into their vintage catalog to pull out ideas for their more modern models.

Thus the Yema Wristmaster is a careful blend of retro design packed in a similarly retro sized 37mm case. The calligraphy of the logo is straight from the 60’s and the indices are raised and accented with black dots. The dial itself is divided with a cross-hair to complement the retro look.

(photo from Yema's original Kickstarter campaign)

The Wristmaster was originally offered on Kickstarter, which is another thing that Yema does differently, and it came in two case variant, the Adventurer and the Traveler, and in 3 color options. Mine is the the ivory (beige) Traveler version and to be honest I’m not exactly sure how to classify it.

It’s not a 1:1 recreation of one of their vintage models, although there are some common design elements. Despite the names, It’s not really an traveling/exploring watch because it looks too “dressy”, but it’s not a dress watch because of the brushing. It looks more like an everyday watch that someone would buy in the mid 60’s to 70’s. Something simple that can be worn at the office and would not look out of place when waiting for the metro. But also something that can be worn when going on vacations with the family, and French do like their vacations very much.

Some will call it a Go Anywhere, Do Anything (GADA) watch, but I disagree for two main reasons. Firstly because the term was not invented yet in the 70’s, which is the decade from which the Wristmaster is drawing its inspiration, and lastly because I don’t like this term.

A GADA watch for me means a watch that can be worn anywhere and do anything – as long as this is still within the limits of urban routine activities. Nobody is going to assault fortified positions, dive into the sea, or time races with a GADA. Indiana Jones didn’t wear a GADA. He probably wore a Hamilton because that’s who’s usually sponsoring movies for product placement rights. Therefore a GADA is just a fancier way to call an everyday watch for the office worker who is also responsible for the barbecue during the weekends. The Wristmaster is thus just a simple watch.

You may not like this definition and stick to GADA but (a) I don’t care and (b) it’s my watch and so I can call it anything I want.

But is it really just a simple watch? Well, not really so. One of the things that were done differently with the Wristmaster is the crystal on top which, beside being made of superior acrylic, is also shaped in a way that it creates the illusion of a bezel. It’s just an illusion created by light scattering and refracting from the edges but it can be quite convincing under the right conditions. The case shape is also a bit unusual with a tonneau body that extend to long lugs, and there is the dial with the unusual indices and the calligraphy.

So it’s not really a simple watch, it’s not a dress watch and it’s not a field/explorer watch. It’s a Yema and it’s different and this is probably why I bought it and why I’ll be wearing it today.

It’s nice.